Liverpool manager Arne Slot revealed that Mohamed Salah “wasn’t happy” with being dropped for Sunday’s trip to West Ham United but insisted that reaction is “normal” and not unique to the Egyptian talisman.
Salah was named as a Premier League substitute by Slot for the first time this weekend. Incidentally, the last top-flight match which Liverpool’s perennial top scorer began on the bench was also at the London Stadium back in April 2024.
On that occasion, Jürgen Klopp brought Salah off the bench. Over the weekend, Slot didn’t call upon his waning winger at all. The last time Salah spent an entire Premier League match among the substitutes was June 2020.
On the previous occasions Mo Salah was dropped for Liverpool, he still came off the bench.
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) December 1, 2025
The win at West Ham marked the first time he missed the entire 90 minutes over form or tactical reasons. pic.twitter.com/wRhQZRcCLv
Immediately before and after the weekend clash—which Liverpool won 2–0 without their talisman—Slot wrote off Salah’s absence as a case of load management. The topic was raised again ahead of Wednesday’s visit from Sunderland and the Dutch boss confirmed Salah was disappointed. “It was a normal reaction for a player who is good enough to play for us—and I say that mildly as he’s been so outstanding for this club and will be in the future,” Slot shrugged.
“He wasn’t happy he wasn’t starting but he wasn’t the only one.”
Slot went on to stress how “professional” Salah had been despite his personal frustration: “But the way he behaved was as you’d expect from such a professional: he supported his teammates and handled himself really well.
“You can’t be a player that has to play every three days to high standard but he’s so disciplined and knows what to do to stay fit. Whether he plays well, doesn’t play well, plays or doesn’t play, he’ll always be that top professional.”
Mohamed Salah’s Departure Date for AFCON Confirmed
The few Premier League games which Salah has missed during his durable Liverpool career have been due to his participation in different editions of the Africa Cup of Nations. Egypt are once again heading to the continental jamboree in Morocco with ambitions of winning the tournament for the first time in Salah’s relatively underwhelming international career.
As ever, the buildup has been dominated by discussion of when club sides will lose their African internationals. Slot confirmed that Liverpool expect to keep Salah until the last possible moment while also leaving the door open to further wiggle room. “It [the deadline] is Dec. 15,” he told assembled media. “As always there is the nation involved, the player involved and the club. There are always talks about what is the best for all three of us.
“We have to find a way to play without him as he’ll not be here. That’s true.”
That deadline of Dec. 15 would entitle Salah to play Liverpool’s next four fixtures—unless Slot continues to leave him on the bench. The Egypt captain, however, is guaranteed to miss a trip to Tottenham Hotspur (Dec. 20) and the visit of relegation-battling Wolverhampton Wanderers (Dec. 27).
Should Egypt get knocked out in the group stage—which ends for them on Dec. 29—Salah could conceivably return for the league bout with Leeds United on New Year’s Day. In the event that the Pharaohs go all the way to the final on Jan. 18, 2026, Salah would miss at least seven matches for Liverpool across all competitions, including a trip to league-leading Arsenal on Jan. 8.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arne Slot Reveals Mohamed Salah’s Reaction to Liverpool Snub.
